taking steps to make it all better…

Archive for May, 2008

This will be a personal post. My beloved grandfather, Paul Dhas, passed away on 10 May, 2008. The most unfortunate part of the situation being the fact that I have not seen him in 3 years and was not be able to make it back to India for the funeral. This is one of the first family deaths that affected me this deeply.

His influence remains sprinkled throughout many aspects of my life. From an early age I enjoyed taking care of animals he had (cows, goats, chickens, dogs, cats, mongoose, and more). His love for animals drove me to obtain my Bachelor’s in Zoology. Besides this, his influence in how I live my life can’t be explained in words.

I am currently at my parent’s house and this has provided me with some closure into the whole situation. I will get back to writing more since I am at a better place now.

3 May 2008: A terrifyingly severe cyclone makes landfall into the impoverished nation of Burma (Myanmar). Dubbed “Asia’s Hurricane Katrina,” Cyclone Nargis produces 215 km/h winds (135 m/h equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane). Initially forecasted to strike Bangladesh (somewhat protected by the mangrove forest) or Burma’s mountainous northwest, Cyclone Nargis became one of Asia’s deadliest storms by hitting land in the low-lying Irrawaddy delta in central Burma and setting off a storm surge that reached 25 miles inland (the picture on the right shows the delta before and after the storm).

Picking and choosing what aid to allow into Burma, the military junta that runs the country should face immense scrutiny. The true degree of devastation unknown, over the course of a week we have watched the death toll rise from 4,000 to over 22,000 with foreign observers saying 100,000 may have perished.

With much needed aid being blocked off by the government, the military leaders appear to be putting their pride and entrenched suspicion of foreigners before the lives of their people. As sad as it may sound, natural disasters often offer a chance for people to witness how great humanity can be with so many willing to help… This sad situation shows that the world cares, but the government in Burma doesn’t. With the number of corpses rising, help HAS to be accepted soon or the rate of disease will grow rampant. I sincerely hope the situation improves.

Without direct access, the only way for me to help the relief effort is monetarily. I have done so through google to Unicef. I hope everyone else does the same.

A truly amazing concept, a panoramic view of cultural diversity from a diet standpoint. Hungry Planet: What the World Eats dives into the dietary habits of a spectrum of families from different countries featuring pictures of each family behind 1 weeks worth of food. The artists behind this novel concept, photographer Peter Menzel and writer Faith D’Aluisio, visited some 30 families in 24 countries.

This post does not contain all of the families featured in the book but does show large portion. Some things worth noting include the horrific packaging of foods in developed nations. One quickly sees why the industrialized nations produce so much trash. Other visible facts includes the lack of fresh fruits, vegetables, and other produce in the US families. The reality being the cost and convenience of being able to store prepackaged foods for a long period of time while having foods that are quick to prepare.

It’s quite easy to complain about the drastic increase in gas prices. Looking at straight facts, the US remains a cheap location to fill up. Out of 155 countries surveyed, U.S. gas prices were the 45th cheapest, according to a recent study from AIRINC, a research firm that tracks cost of living data. The data below shows the findings from the firm.

Most expensive places to buy gas

Rank

Country

Price/gal

1.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

$10.86

2.

Eritrea

$9.58

3.

Norway

$8.73

4.

United Kingdom

$8.38

5.

Netherlands

$8.37

6.

Monaco

$8.31

7.

Iceland

$8.28

8.

Belgium

$8.22

9.

France

$8.07

10.

Germany

$7.86

111.

United States

$3.45

Cheapest Oil Prices

Rank

Country

Price/gal

1.

Venezuela

12 cents

2.

Iran

40 cents

3.

Saudi Arabia

45 cents

4.

Libya

50 cents

5.

Swaziland

54 cents

6.

Qatar

73 cents

7.

Bahrain

81 cents

8.

Egypt

89 cents

9.

Kuwait

90 cents

10.

Seychelles

98 cents

45.

United States

$3.48

Hidden data not strictly in the numbers above is what each government does with extra revenue received from gas taxes. For example, most of the European countries (with astronomical gas prices) use the revenue from taxes to fund improvements in public transportation. These improvements along with the high price of gas breeds a culture content with using public transportation for all needs.

The former EXTREMELY low price of gasoline in the US led to the purchases of automobiles into virtually every household. On a per capita basis, Americans use three times more oil than Europeans. With the recent increase in prices, people feel the crunch but remain committed in their love affair with cars.

Americans must accept the consequences of overconsumption and learn to adapt. Improvements will come with slight changes to our way of life. Making concerted efforts to reduce gasoline consumption by walking, carpooling, and using public transportation can reduce the price of gas, help the environment, and increase fitness. Accept responsibility, make some changes and let’s improve our world.